creating a home and simplifying life

I have been taking some extra time out this week to work more on creating a better feeling in our home. I already feel we have a good feeling in our home but I realise that this needs to start with me personally more. I want to work a little more on my thoughts, my attitude and my decision to wake up happy each day. 

I love this woman above. Her name is Marjorie Pay Hinckley and was the wife of a leader from my church. She was sweet, she was humble but she was fiercely dedicated to her family. She had a no nonsense approach to being a wife and mother. She was practical yet so inspiring.

I love her thoughts on creating a home:

"As you create a home, don't get distracted with a lot of things that have no meaning for you or your family. Don't dwell on your failures, but think about your successes. Have joy in your home. Have joy in your children. Have joy in your husband. Be grateful for the journey."

I also love her thoughts about being a woman:

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are."

The older I get the more comfortable I am in my own skin. I feel more content and less distracted by the dramas of life around me and I feel that my family gives me the contentment I need in life. This was exactly the inspiration I needed to read right now to help me take creating a home to a new level. I just needed that extra little encouragement and push to look for more joy and to simplify my life.

Home Inspiration: scarf storage solution

Home Inspiration: My Scarf Storage Solution

With the cooler weather creeping up on us in the mornings here in Brisbane, I have been delighted to break out a few of my favourite scarves to wear for the school drop off run. In doing so I thought some of you might like to see my storage solution of how I store my scarves. I don't have a massive collection of scarves but I do have a few favourites that quickly out grew my small container I used to keep them in. 

I basically use 2 products to store my scarves. The first one is an over the door hanger that I picked up in Ikea. I can't remember how much it cost but I know it was not that expensive to purchase. It has six hooks but I only really use one of them to store my scarves. 

I store my scarves on the back of the door to my walk in wardrobe. I am going to show you on the outside of the door how I store them as it is too dark and cramped in my wardrobe to take proper pictures. So first of all I hang up the door hanger over the back of the door.

The second item I use is another hanger I picked up from Ikea. I love this as it is simple and light weight. It has a lot of holes to hang up scarves with and suits me wonderfully.

So the next step I take is to hang the light weight hanger on one of the hooks on the over the door hanger. This allows it to sit nicely on the back of the door and is a good use of unused space in my walk in robe.

Then I simply start to thread my scarves through the holes in the light weight hanger. You can add as many as you want and space them out how you want. I tend to spread mine out a little so it makes it easier to see what scarves I own and then I am not tempted to buy more scarves and fill up every hole!

When I have finished adding all of my favourite scarves, I have a scarf storage solution that sits nicely behind my door and is visually easy for me to see what scarf I want to wear. I also like to keep my scarves in my walk in robe so that when I am getting dressed I can quickly and easily pick out a scarf to wear that will match my outfit. 

You can also use the extra hooks to hand up handbags, necklaces or any other accessories that you love to wear with your outfits. I have an extra spot for my handbags and one day I will get around to showing you that storage solution as well. 

Hope you enjoyed having a look.

Mum and Baby pamper pack giveaway

A few little treats for Mum and Baby to help pamper your day

A Weleda Baby Care Pack and a Jurlique Skin Care Pack

Available to win:

1 x Large Calendula Nappy Change Cream 

2 x Small Calendula Nappy Change Creams

1 x Calendula Bath Cream 

1 x Baby Teething Powder

1 x Purely White Skin Brightening Mist

1 x Daily Exfoliating Cream

1 x Purely White Skin Brightening Essence

Giveaway Guidelines:

1. Open to Aussie residents only

2. Entries close June 4th, 2012

3. Leave a comment below and tell me:

What is your favourite way to be pampered?

{I have never used any of these products before and therefore can't share my opinion on them. 

I am giving away these products because they were sent to me and I will not use them.}

Pet Peeve: Bucket List's

I have a pet peeve with Bucket Lists. They get to me.

Actually, they drive me nuts!

Whenever I look on the internet for blog posts about bucket lists, I seem to spend about 1 minute reading them and then have to click away. I know a bucket list is a list of things you want to do before you die or a list of life goals you want to achieve in your lifetime but when I look at the current bucket lists available on the internet...I wonder why people set them when seriously, you can see there is no way they are actually going to achieve them.

The chances of me actually hosting Saturday night live, meeting Brad Pitt, riding in the Tour De France, playing in an orchestra, releasing an album, diving in a submarine, seeing gorilla's in a jungle, visiting all 50 states in America or even running with with the bulls are very slim. Most suggestions or recommendations on these buckets lists are just extreme. I understand they are encouraging us to dream big but some dreams, no matter how big you dream just don't end up coming true.

I am a realist. Enter the pet peeve.

If I was ever going to put together a Bucket List....hmmm....maybe a 'Buckets of Happiness' Ebook???!!!??? I would make it a list of achievable goals combined with dream goals. Goals that might actually stand a chance of happening. I would focus more on family and of doing goals together. Small goals that would stretch us but would also bring unity and fun to our lives.

So what are you thoughts about Bucket Lists: Do you love them? 

Do they drive you crazy? Do you have one?